Mr. Martin I would just like to say how much I've enjoyed your series A Song of Ice and Fire. I think it's the best writing out there now in the realm of Fantasy writing by a long shot. Your books have a sense of realism and honesty that can be sometimes brutal, but always keeps the reader on his toes. Like I've heard you say before, it makes the fans react differently when they can know anything can happen at any time.
I think the best books are the ones that keep the readers wondering what will happen next.
Thanks for the kind words.
I was checking online and was surprised to find out that people could actually get in touch with an author of your calibre. So here I am. :) The only Fantasy Author who I had met previously was Dave Duncan a few years ago. So on to my questions.
1. The first two books in the series, despite being full of harsh intrigue and sublety as SOS, seemed to have moments of joy for the good guys (Starks, Baratheons) but SOS to me lacked any of those same moments. Was it because you needed to wrap up some plot threads for the five year gap?
No, not really. The story has its own momentum. This is really one long story, just as Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS was, so the division into books in some ways is almost arbitrary. STORM was the darkest volume, but I wouldn't say it was joyless.
2. Was it difficult to you when you wrote Dany's scene with the slavers in SOS? Was that one of the moments where the character spoke to you and changer their direction? Cause for me that act of Dany's seemed out of character. I know she dislikes slavery, but she must have killed an awful lot of innocent people there, plus her motives to me seemed suspect. Yes she freed the slaves, but she also got a large army for nothing. And right after she left the slavery started up again.
Dany is still very young. She has lessons to learn. That was one of them. It is not as easy to do good as it might seem, no matter how noble your intentions.
3. When Lysa lost her virginity to Petyr, Littlefinger was drunk. Did the state he was in cause him to believe that he actually slept with Catelyn? Because of his numerous claims throughout the series that he took both of the Tully girl's maidenheads. I always suspected that he was lying through his teeth deliberately, but now I kind of think that Littlefinger thinks the deed actually happened, at least in his mind.
I think that's quite likely, yes.
I'll let you get back to writing Dance with Dragons, and have yourself a merry christmas and a great new year. Thanks alot for creating such a wonderful world that all of us can enjoy. By the way I've converted several people to your books, with more to come. :)
Then keep up the good work, by all means.